ABA on Tap

Mike Rubio, BCBA & Dan Lowery, BCBA (co-Hosts) & Suzanne Juzwik, BCBA (Producer)
  • 4.9 (15)
  • Social Sciences
  • Updated Biweekly

The ABA podcast, crafted for BCBAs, RBTs, OBMers, and ABA therapy business owners, that serves up Applied Behavior Analysis with a twist! A podcast for BCBAs, RBTs, fieldwork trainees, related service professionals, parents, and ABA therapy business owners Taking Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) beyond the laboratory and straight into real-world applications, ABA on Tap is the BCBA podcast that breaks down behavior science into engaging, easy-to-digest discussions.  Hosted by Mike Rubio (BCBA), Dan Lowery (BCBA), and Suzanne Juzwik (BCBA, OBM expert), this ABA podcast explores everything from Behavior Analysis, BT and RBT training, BCBA supervision, the BACB, fieldwork supervision, Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), OBM, ABA strategies, the future of ABA therapy, behavior science, ABA-related technology, including machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual learning or virtual reality, instructional design, learning & development, and cutting-edge ABA interventions—all with a laid-back, pub-style atmosphere. Whether you're a BCBA, BCBA-D, BCaBA, RBT, Behavior Technician, Behavior Analyst, teacher, parent, related service professional, ABA therapy business owner, or OBM professional, this podcast delivers science-backed insights on human behavior with humor, practicality, and a fresh perspective.  We serve up ABA therapy, Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), compassionate care, and real-world case studies—no boring jargon, just straight talk about what really works. So, pour yourself a tall glass of knowledge, kick back, and always analyze responsibly. Cheers to better behavior analysis, behavior change, and behavior science!

  1. 1d ago

    From Adaptive PE To BCBA Leadership In Schools: Lupe Castañeda Brews A Fresh Perspective (Part II)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to sit down with Lupe Castañeda (Part 2 of 2): You can have the best behavior plan in the world and still fail if the classroom doesn’t trust you. Mike and Dan pick up part two with Lupe Castaneda, and get practical about school-based ABA, BCBA leadership in schools, and the messy middle where collaboration meets real-world constraints. We talk through what it looks like when we’re “not the experts” in the family system or the classroom environment, yet we’re brought in because something is already going wrong, and the people in the room may not want change. From there, we get into the hard stuff most people won’t say out loud: school politics, predetermined placement decisions, and how to protect your staff when they’re doing great work but still getting nitpicked. Lupe shares how he approaches teacher buy-in by building rapport, talking with paraprofessionals, and living the principle of “show me, don’t tell me” rather than being the BCBA in the corner with a laptop. We also explore supervision and mentorship strategies that improve retention, including bi-directional feedback, coaching, and shaping performance instead of punishing mistakes. We then zoom into tactics for bridging 1:1 ABA into group instruction: small-group DTT, instructional pacing, short learning sprints, contextual fit, and preparing students for natural environments. Along the way we unpack clinical judgment, crisis prevention, and why it matters to teach teams how to think on the fly, especially when the difference between an extinction burst and failed treatment is not obvious to educators. We wrap with burnout prevention, skill diversification, and why staying curious might be the most underrated career strategy in behavior analysis. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a school-based BCBA or teacher, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the biggest obstacle you hit when trying to collaborate in schools? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  2. Jul 12

    From Adaptive PE To BCBA Leadership In Schools: Lupe Castañeda Brews A Fresh Perspective (Part I)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to sit down with Lupe Castañeda (Part 1 of 2): If you’ve ever walked into a school confident in your assessment, your data, and your “best practice” plan, and still watched it fall apart by week two, you’re not alone. Mike and Dan sit down with Lupe Castaneda, a longtime school-based BCBA and consultant, to talk about what actually makes ABA in schools work, and what quietly makes it fail even when everyone has good intentions. We start with Lupe’s path into the field, from early exposure to children with disabilities to adapted physical education, autism support, and becoming one of the earliest full-time BCBAs employed by a Texas school district. Along the way, he shares the moments that reshaped his practice, including a hard lesson about making changes without family input and a blunt IEP meeting reminder that experience means nothing if you cannot explain what you will do for this specific child. From there, we dig into the practical heart of school-based behavior support: family-centered programming, meaningful long-term goals, parent education, and the legal and team-driven reality of the IEP process. We also break down two essentials for any behavior intervention plan or functional behavior assessment in a school setting: collaboration and contextual fit. A plan is only “evidence-based” if it can be implemented by real educators in real classrooms with real constraints, and if it respects the priorities of the student and family. This is Part 1 of our conversation with Lupe. Subscribe so you don’t miss Part 2, and if this resonates, share it with a BCBA, teacher, or parent navigating school services. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve seen when ABA meets the classroom? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  3. Jul 5

    Skittles, A Rubik’s Cube, And The ABA Rabbit Hole: A Sip and A Candid Chat with Asia Johnson (Part II)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Asia Johnson (Part 2 of 2): A kid can learn their colors and still be worse off if they’ve been trained to silence “no.” That tension drives our candid conversation with Asia Johnson as we wrestle with what ethical, modern ABA therapy should look like when the goal is a real life, not perfect compliance. We talk honestly about how many clinicians are shaped by a single supervisor, a single company, and a single packaged system, and how that funnel can turn good people into one-track practitioners without meaning to. From VB-MAPP popularity to PEAK’s assessment structure, we dig into “teaching to the test” and why assessment scores can’t be the finish line. We compare naturalistic teaching with discrete trial training as a tool, then zoom out to the bigger issue: assent-based practice, withdrawal of assent, and the fine line between instruction and coercion. We also unpack a hard but necessary question for client outcomes: what did it cost to get that progress, and did it create masking, trauma, or reduced self-advocacy? Then we shift into cultural competency in ABA and autism services in Black communities, where programming details matter, like hair care routines, barber shop versus salon experiences, and language goals that erase AAVE. Asia breaks down how competency, referral decisions, Medicaid access, and limited provider pools collide in the real world, plus why research diversity and historical medical mistrust shape family engagement. If you care about trauma-informed care, ethical ABA, and culturally responsive autism support, this conversation will stretch your thinking. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave us a review with the biggest “success metric” you think ABA should be judged by. Enjoy the second pour with Asia Johnson, share this with a parent or clinician who needs it, subscribe and leave a review with your take. Tell us---what should ethical ABA protect first? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS analyze responsibly. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  4. Jun 28

    Skittles, A Rubik’s Cube, And The ABA Rabbit Hole: A Sip and A Candid Chat with Asia Johnson (Part I)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Asia Johnson (Part 1 of 2): A two-pound baby in the NICU. A young mom in a demanding academic track. Years of sleepless nights, confusing behaviors, and a system full of waitlists and half-answers. Asia Johnson joins us to share the throughline that connects all of it-- learning how to advocate for her daughter, and then bringing that same urgency and empathy into the ABA field as an RBT and later a BCBA. In this pour of ABA on Tap, Mike, Dan and Asia  get real about what families feel after an autism diagnosis, especially when the people around them do not understand ASD, and when community stigma makes support harder to access. Asia breaks down why the five stages of grief are not just theory, but a practical tool for parent support and for clinicians who want to teach skills without ignoring the emotional load caregivers carry. We also talk about acceptance as a daily practice: redefining happiness, building structure, and choosing goals that protect dignity and independence. From masking and stimming to school accommodations and powerful self-advocacy, Asia gives vivid examples of what growing up autistic can look like for a level one pre-teen. Then we dig into culturally responsive ABA: dialect, identity, and why therapy must meet a child where they are rather than sanding down culture to fit a narrow idea of “proper.” Finally, Asia shares what she has seen when ABA goes wrong and why ethical leadership has to interrupt harmful clinic cultures before they reproduce. Enjoy this first pour, return for part 2, share this with a parent or clinician who needs it, subscribe and leave a review with your take. Tell us---what should ethical ABA protect first? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS analyze responsibly. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  5. Jun 21

    Truth Telling and Good Hiring in ABA: A Couple of Drinks with Holli Beth Clauser (Part II)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Holli Beth Clauser (Part 2 of 2): Grab a comfortable seat and get ready for your second pour of truth telling and good hiring.  "They’re just RBTs” might be the most expensive sentence an ABA organization can say. We sit down with Holli Beth Clauser to talk about truth telling, good hiring, and what happens when companies optimize for speed and margin while ignoring training, retention, and the human reality of autism services delivered in a family’s home. We dig into the hidden costs of turnover in applied behavior analysis: paid onboarding time, unstaffed cases, added BCBA supervision load, inconsistent sessions, and the reputational damage that follows. From there we get into the messy “soup” leaders actually face, balancing living wages, competitive market pay, and insurance reimbursement rates, plus the pressure to keep profit margins high. We also challenge the industry’s obsession with blanket hour recommendations and talk about what it means to “prescribe” ABA therapy with real clinical reasoning and empirical humility. Then we shift into what to do about it. Holli breaks down how to reduce silos between clinical leadership and talent teams through visibility, feedback loops, and accountability, and why “vibe check” interviews quietly bake bias into your hiring. You’ll hear a practical interview question you can steal, simple ways to create belonging through specific reinforcement, and a powerful reminder that protocols are for people, not the other way around. We also cover BCBA burnout and realistic career pivots, plus Holli’s personal diagnostic journey and what it taught her about communication, systems, and support. If you care about ethical ABA, RBT retention, sustainable growth, and better outcomes for kids and families, hit subscribe, share this with a leader on your team, and leave a review so more clinicians can find the conversation. Tune in, drink up AND ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  6. Jun 14

    Truth Telling and Good Hiring in ABA: A Couple of Drinks with Holli Beth Clauser (Part I)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Holli Beth Clauser (Part 1 of 2): Grab a comfortable seat and a tasty libation. There is a lot of introspection to be had in this pour. Your turnover number might look like a business problem, but it’s really a human systems problem. We sit down with Holly Beth Clauser to unpack why ABA organizations keep bleeding great RBTs, why families lose trust when staffing churn never stops, and what changes actually improve recruitment, onboarding, and retention without burning people out. We start with Holli’s origin story and how her frontline experience shaped the way she thinks about the workforce. From there, we get practical about the gaps between clinical work, scheduling, HR, and executives. We talk about SOPs and metrics as a shared language, but we keep coming back to the part most dashboards miss: the context behind the number. Cancellations, inconsistent hours, and “culture” issues rarely come from one person being lazy. They’re usually signals that the environment isn’t reinforcing the right behaviors. Then we go straight at the hiring process. Overselling roles, overpromising hours, and avoiding hard conversations about aggression, travel, cancellations, and documentation creates the exact churn everyone complains about later. Holly shares how she interviews for boundaries and triggers, why function should guide HR responses, and why practical de-escalation and self-regulation training often matters more in the first 60 days than jargon-heavy onboarding. If you care about treatment continuity, staff wellbeing, and sustainable ABA services, hit play, share this with a leader in your orbit, and subscribe so you don’t miss Part 2. After you listen, what’s one change you’d make to improve RBT retention at your organization? Holli Beth Clauser will guide you in this episode. Tune In, Drink Up, and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  7. Jun 7

    A Perfect Pairing Toward the Eighth Dimension: Compassion and Food with Dr. Yev Veverka (Part II)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Dr. Yev Veverka (Part 2 of 2): Grab a tasty libation, a comfy seat and sip slowly.  In this episode of ABA on Tap, hosts Mike and Dan are pouring out a fresh perspective on the evolution of behavior science. We are thrilled to welcome a powerhouse, Dr. Yev Veverka, PhD, BCBA-D--a world-class researcher, and educator from the University of Washington. Yev is also well versed as a parent of neurodivergence.  We are tackling the flaws in traditional ABA delivery and diving straight into how we can reform the field without abandoning the proven science. Dr. Veverka breaks down the concept of compassionate care as the "Eighth Dimension" of ABA, exploring how practitioners can move from being rigid experts to collaborative partners who actively center client autonomy and well-being. Plus, as a leading feeding specialist, she serves up some highly actionable strategies from her work on making mealtimes positive and manageable for families. On the Menu Tonight: The Compassion Reform: Why the current application of ABA can feel flawed to families, and how shifting toward person-centered, empathetic care can reshape the future of our field.The Dual Perspective: What happens when a BCBA is also an autism parent navigating the daily realities of therapy.Meaningful Mealtimes: Dr. Veverka’s practical, evidence-based tips to prevent and handle common mealtime challenges without the battle of wills.Client Autonomy & Assent: Shifting the focus toward meaningful participation, social justice, and asking the critical question: Whose lives are we actually improving?Whether you are a seasoned BCBA, an RBT in the trenches, or a parent looking for real-world support, this episode delivers high-impact behavior science with absolutely zero boring jargon. Tune in, Drink up, and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  8. May 31

    A Perfect Pairing Toward the Eighth Dimension: Compassion and Food with Dr. Yev Veverka (Part I)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Dr. Yev Veverka (Part 1 of 2): Grab a tasty libation, a comfy seat and sip slowly.  In this episode of ABA on Tap, hosts Mike and Dan are pouring out a fresh perspective on the evolution of behavior science. We are thrilled to welcome a powerhouse, Dr. Yev Veverka, PhD, BCBA-D--a world-class researcher, and educator from the University of Washington. Yev is also well versed as a parent of neurodivergence.  We are tackling the flaws in traditional ABA delivery and diving straight into how we can reform the field without abandoning the proven science. Dr. Veverka breaks down the concept of compassionate care as the "Eighth Dimension" of ABA, exploring how practitioners can move from being rigid experts to collaborative partners who actively center client autonomy and well-being. Plus, as a leading feeding specialist, she serves up some highly actionable strategies from her work on making mealtimes positive and manageable for families. On the Menu Tonight: The Compassion Reform: Why the current application of ABA can feel flawed to families, and how shifting toward person-centered, empathetic care can reshape the future of our field.The Dual Perspective: What happens when a BCBA is also an autism parent navigating the daily realities of therapy.Meaningful Mealtimes: Dr. Veverka’s practical, evidence-based tips to prevent and handle common mealtime challenges without the battle of wills.Client Autonomy & Assent: Shifting the focus toward meaningful participation, social justice, and asking the critical question: Whose lives are we actually improving?Whether you are a seasoned BCBA, an RBT in the trenches, or a parent looking for real-world support, this episode delivers high-impact behavior science with absolutely zero boring jargon. Tune in, Drink up, and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

See All (119)

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

The ABA podcast, crafted for BCBAs, RBTs, OBMers, and ABA therapy business owners, that serves up Applied Behavior Analysis with a twist! A podcast for BCBAs, RBTs, fieldwork trainees, related service professionals, parents, and ABA therapy business owners Taking Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) beyond the laboratory and straight into real-world applications, ABA on Tap is the BCBA podcast that breaks down behavior science into engaging, easy-to-digest discussions.  Hosted by Mike Rubio (BCBA), Dan Lowery (BCBA), and Suzanne Juzwik (BCBA, OBM expert), this ABA podcast explores everything from Behavior Analysis, BT and RBT training, BCBA supervision, the BACB, fieldwork supervision, Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), OBM, ABA strategies, the future of ABA therapy, behavior science, ABA-related technology, including machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual learning or virtual reality, instructional design, learning & development, and cutting-edge ABA interventions—all with a laid-back, pub-style atmosphere. Whether you're a BCBA, BCBA-D, BCaBA, RBT, Behavior Technician, Behavior Analyst, teacher, parent, related service professional, ABA therapy business owner, or OBM professional, this podcast delivers science-backed insights on human behavior with humor, practicality, and a fresh perspective.  We serve up ABA therapy, Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), compassionate care, and real-world case studies—no boring jargon, just straight talk about what really works. So, pour yourself a tall glass of knowledge, kick back, and always analyze responsibly. Cheers to better behavior analysis, behavior change, and behavior science!

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Rubio, BCBA & Dan Lowery, BCBA (co-Hosts) & Suzanne Juzwik, BCBA (Producer)
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    119
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 ABA on Tap
  • Show Website
    ABA on Tap

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